


Heart of Kyber

by saltylikecrait



Series: What Comes After [5]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Dorks in Love, F/M, Force-Sensitive Finn, Kyber Crystals, Lothal, Post-Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-01
Updated: 2018-06-01
Packaged: 2019-05-16 16:29:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14814867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saltylikecrait/pseuds/saltylikecrait
Summary: Finn had the oddest sensation course through his body as they walked through the colorful stalls and glanced at their wares.





	Heart of Kyber

After weeks of mulling over what to do about lightsabers, Rey finally admitted that she and Finn would have to go find kyber crystals themselves. The crystal in the old Skywalker lightsaber was miraculously still intact and could be used in a new hilt, but that was only one crystal and they needed _two._

That crystal seemed to have selected Rey as its master and Finn was fine with that. The lightsaber had called to her from the start, after all. To be honest, Finn liked the idea of creating something himself with a crystal that chose him and no one else.

But that was the first big hurdle. Finding kyber crystals was no easy task. The Empire had ransacked temples and mined crystal worlds to the core. The First Order, likewise, had done something similar. Starkiller was fueled by kyber and a sun, but the world’s core had been filled with untouched kyber deposits. The weapons of their Star Destroyers also used kyber.

Grinding her teeth together in frustration, Rey muttered under her breath about how they should just hijack the _Finalizer_ and bring it back for parts and kyber. Two mynocks with one stone, so to speak. Finn and Poe – who was helping them plan how to find a crystal – did not like that idea one bit. The Resistance simply did not have the manpower to spare on an idea so dangerous and with a high failure risk, though he was certain that Finn could go undercover again and be successful. Finn, however, put his foot down at even the suggestion.

Rey realized the grim desperation that the Resistance was in if they hadn’t realized she was joking. Either than that or she had yet to master the subtle art of sarcasm.

After long hours analyzing each planet known for kyber crystals, Finn decided that a lightsaber might have to wait until it was safer. The First Order was keeping tabs on kyber worlds and that made him uncomfortable.

In any case, he and Rey were quickly sent on a mission for the Resistance. Regrouping was still being implemented, and a group of sympathizers on Lothal had reached out to offer help and transports. Leia had asked Rey if she could go to check out the recruits and inspect the transports and Rey agreed on the condition that Finn went with her; he had a knack for reading others in a way that Rey had never developed. Also, she wanted to have the excuse to spend time with him alone, just like when they first started out on their journey. It would just be the two of them again, well, except for R2-D2, who wanted to come along.

Traveling to the world was enjoyable. They caught each other up on what had happened in the time Rey had left the Resistance and the time she returned, but Finn could tell that Rey was hiding something about what happened on Ahch-To. Whatever it was, Finn decided he wouldn’t pry. It was up to her to tell him.

They slept next to each other in the bunk of the small shuttle they had taken, falling asleep after hours of lying there and talking about everything that had come to mind.

The prestige white view of Capital City caught their attention the moment they entered Lothal’s atmosphere. It reminded them of a crystal formation, surrounded by sand and sea. That was where they were headed anyway. One of the recruits would take them to the Resistance camp from there.

The city was so bustling and filled with sights and sounds that Finn and Rey felt overwhelmed by everything. Finn, in particular, was struck by how many species were interacting together in one place. He had never seen anything like the city before.

Rey had her mind occupied with all the food that market stalls and carts had to offer and soon she and Finn were enjoying the taste of a spiced rice dish for lunch. The smells were just too strong for them to ignore and even harder for their stomachs.

“When the war is over,” Rey began, chomping down on her lunch, “I want us to move here so we can eat this all the time.”

Finn agreed until he took in the whole implication of her sentence.

 _“Us?!”_ He gaped at her. As much as he loved the idea of living a life full of good food and with Rey, he wanted to make sure he heard her right.

“Err…” She blushed, her cheeks tinted with a bright shade of pink and Finn had to keep himself from laughing at how cute she looked. He got the feeling that _cute_ was a word that might put Rey on the defensive. It still might be fun to tease her, though. 

“If you want to, of course,” she tried to save face. “I can’t force you to stay with me forever.”

“I’d like that, though,” he admitted. “I wanted us to run away to the Outer Rim when we first met, too.”

Rey went positively red in the face and Finn felt himself blush at the confession.

When they finished, they stood from the bench they had eaten at and found a place to dispose of their trash. They were to meet the recruit at a fountain in a square, so they made their way in the direction that their map indicated, passing through an outdoor marketplace and trying to keep a close eye on R2, who had a tendency to wander off.

But Finn had the oddest sensation course through his body as they walked through the colorful stalls and glanced at their wares. He heard something calling out, singing, wanting him to find it.

“Did you hear that?” he asked Rey, a little dazed. The sound was loud to him, surely she had heard it too?

“What Finn?” She looked concerned.

He wandered through the stalls until he happened upon a Houk selling jewelry at his stall. It was odd to see such a massive, muscular species sell something as delicate as jewelry, but Finn supposed that appearances were always deceiving.

With a glance at each object at the stand, his eyes eventually looked to the simple necklaces that hung from hooks on the stand’s top. Wire wrapped around various crystals and stones and then a leather strap was looped through the wire of each one.

Rey stood next to him, looking both impatient and worrisome for her partner and his unusual behavior. Finn was never one to look too closely at something so unnecessary like jewelry. Blasters or local tastes, perhaps but never jewelry.

He turned to her, his eyes wide. “I think these are kyber crystal,” he whispered.

Mirroring the look on his face, she looked at the necklaces and concentrated on the Force before turning back around. “I think you’re right.”

“And one of those is mine.”

“That’s great, Finn!” Well, it made their task of finding one easier.

He scanned the crystal necklaces one more time, touching each of them and trying to figure out which one was calling to him. After touching a crystal with a pinkish hue along the ridges, Finn knew he had found it.

“It’s this one,” he announced.

Rey looked to the Houk. “How much?” she asked, hoping that Basic was at least one of his languages.

The vendor gave her the amount, and she cringed before attempting to haggle with him. When she could bring it down in price, she handed over her credit stick, courtesy of the Resistance.

“Do you think the general is going to be angry?” he asked her, a little afraid that the commanding officers wouldn't approve of the transaction.

She shrugged. “I trust you on this, and if it’s kyber, well, General Organa was willing to buy one off the black market for you, I don’t think she’d be angry about this.”

But then she smiled as the Houk handed her the necklace and she unlatched the clasp on the leather and held it out. “Turn around,” she told him.

He laughed and did as she said. Soon he was wearing a kyber necklace with a smile on his face. It was actually a nice, simple touch with his white shirt and signature jacket.

Rey looked him up and down and nodded. “There. No one is going think it’s weird for someone that follows the Force to wear a kyber crystal, so no one will suspect anything different.”

Reaching out, Rey took his hand and laced their fingers together and nearly bounced with excitement as she led them forward.


End file.
